Rythian chooses not to hear it. The pressure in his head, that aching throb that presses at the back of his eyes, is enough to block it out. He is laser focused on the man sitting ahead of him.
Poet went down like a limp doll. He brings a hand to his face, thumbing away the red that spills from his nose. It catches on his scars, brighter against the rawer skin.
Rythian picks up Enderbane, dusting away the wet sand caught in her carvings. Poet does not react when Rythian points the blade towards him.
“Talk, then,” Rythian starts, left hand sparking with magic, “Who are you?”
Poet groans in frustration, “We’ve been over this! What’s wrong with you?”
Enderbane shakes in his hand, “Answer me.”
“Are you going to believe me this time?” Poet huffs, steadying himself against the cage, “Or are you going to run away again?”
The rushing rain fills the silent beat.
“Did you bring Her here?” Rythian asks, “Because all of this- it all started going wrong when you showed up!”
Poet sneers, “Oh, you are blaming the wrong Rythian for that. I know fully well that your issues started looong before I got here.”
“You’re not me-”
“You have scars on your mouth, like mine, right? And one on your shoulder, teeth marks, that you try to cover up even though Zoeya said they look cool. You have a patch on your tail that never grew back after you thought about cutting it off.”
The magic in his hand pops and crackles, “Shut up.”
“Your eyes were brown-”
“Shut up! Fine- Fine!” Rythian stumbles backwards, “I- Why are you here?”
“New portal went wrong,” Poet says as Tinker appears at his side, helping him stand, “Believe me, this is the last place I’d have gone on purpose.”
Rythian nods, “So.. what now?”
“We just want to get home. You can go back to whatever,” Poet makes a half-hearted gesture, before his hand snaps back to his head, “-Whatever you were doing before. Lalna’s gonna help us build a new portal.”
“Rythian?”
His mouth is dry, the pounding in his head louder and heavier. His eyes sting from the rain.
“Okay, yeah- Thought so,” Poet mutters, “Overdid it?”
Lalna says something, hard to parse over the rushing. There’s a hand on his shoulder and he flinches away.
“Is- Is She going to come back?”
Poet shakes his head, “Not for a long time.”
“Okay... okay."
His legs buckle, then. Lalna catches his head before it hits the sand.
Poet crouches low to the ground, sidling towards Rythian.
Every wingbeat above him makes his face ache, a low thrum of pain that sloughs down his jaw and his shoulder and tingles the scarred skin there. The trees around them are shaking, pelting rain and howling wind-
He had forgotten how frantic this all was.
“We need to send her back, get yourself together.”
Rythian’s eyes snap towards him, “You-”
He jerks to his feet, stumbling away from Poet. His hands are crackling with magic.
“You brought Her here, didn’t you?”
An enderman vworps nearby, shrieking as the rain hits its skin.
“What?” Poet shouts, “No! You can’t be serious.”
“You show up, and all this awful stuff starts happening! You’re some- some-” Rythian smacks his hands against his head, “You’re the bad version of me!”
Lightning strikes, and the white glow flashes on Rythian’s sword. The leather strap that ties the scabbard to his belt is worn and loose. Poet lunges for it. Rythian can’t react fast enough, swinging his fist into Poet’s back, not quite catching the fabric of his tunic so Poet can duck away.
The Queen hisses as Poet draws Enderbane. He thinks he hears Rythian hiss too.
“Fight me afterwards! She needs to go!”
Rythian glares at him, “Give that back.”
“You have magic!”
This makes Rythian pause slightly, “You don’t?”
“Not like you do, not here.”
She roars, static-filled and grating. Rythian’s hands start to crackle again. Poet ignores the sting against his bare palm.
“Deal with Her first, right?”
Poet steels himself, and nods.
Rythian vanishes with a flicker of his ring. An arc of magic follows his path, tearing through the rain in a pale pink bolt of electricity. It pierces through the Dragon and She dives, screeching and thrashing, Her claws scraping at the bricks of the topmost battlements.
Poet follows, warping with his own click to the buttress beneath Her, sword angled outwards to cut through Her underbelly. She doesn’t bleed, the mangled magic forming Her body not yet made meat, but it still hurts. She flinches upwards, wings slamming against the front of the castle as She launches into the open air.
Scanning her flight path, Poet jumps up onto the walkway. Rythian floats above him, striking down at Her with volleys of lightning. There’s a scuffle, shouting, and Poet glances over the wall to see Nano carve through an enderman with a red sword he’d watched her steal.
Zoeya watches him, her hand on Lalna’s arm. The Dragon bellows behind him and he turns, tearing towards Her.
She ducks away from a bolt of magic, passing over the castle tower. Poet clicks, appearing above her and landing on Her back. Enderbane burns his hands, bare skin against enchanted metal, and he plunges the blade into the thin leather of Her wing joint. She bucks, and before he can warp away an arm loops under his own.
Rythian glares at him before throwing him skywards. Magic follows his path, pulling a stream of crackling bolts down towards the Dragon. They pass inches from Poet’s face. The ensuing thunder rolls across the mountains, echoing back in a deafening boom.
The Queen slams into the castle, a chunk of brickwork crumbling under Her weight. It falls to the sand with Her as She slumps down, dropping to the floor.
She remains still. Long enough that Rythian teleports to stand above Her. Poet joins him, sword still readied.
“What now?” Rythian snaps, boot coming down on Her snout.
Poet looks towards the crack in the mountainside, still pulsing with violet, “She just vanished last time.”
“More damage, then.”
His hand raises, scars glowing, and Poet has to warp away to avoid the assault. She squirms violently, wings crashing into the wall and jaws gnashing beneath Rythian’s hold.
A pang of something like sympathy plays on Poet’s mind, but he doesn’t move to stop him.
A final bolt, one that vibrates through the soil with a shockwave, bursts the magic of Her shape. It coils, twisting and shrieking and rising, until it vanishes. Behind them, the tear in the earth croaks, and with a rush of air the magic dispels.
“Oh, thank goodness,” Poet sighs with relief, dropping Enderbane to the sand, “I was worried it would be harder this time.”
His hands are burned and raw, flaked blood soaked into the joints. He flexes his fingers for a moment, wincing away the sting.
Rythian says nothing.
“You alright?” Poet starts, “You didn’t hurt yourself, did you?”
He misses the flick of Rythian’s hand. The bolt of magic does not miss Poet, though, and it throws him into the stone bars opposite the castle door.
Rythian’s voice bellows through the storm, slurred as it is.
“Get away from her.”
Zoeya glances at Nano first, out of instinct. Her face falls as she realises the issue.
“Now.”
Poet crackles, thick magic in the air tugging at his nerves, “This is not a fight we have to have, just let me talk to you-”
“No!”
Lightning strikes behind him, casting his face in shadow.
“I’m not listening to anything you have to say, clone,” he spits the word, “Get away from her.”
“And who said you were in charge?” Zoeya shouts, nudging away Lalna’s outstretched arm. She scowls slightly as she passes him, balling her fists, “You’re overreacting to all of this!”
Rythian falters, the tiniest raise of an eyebrow.
Another tear of lightning arcs through the sky, booming thunder that shakes the trees.
For all but two of them, it’s followed by a deafening, high pitched whine, like the final tone of a dying machine, and then words.
The ground beneath them rumbles, the shifting of matter and magic as it is drawn towards the glowing chasm to the side of the castle. The earth groans once, a low straining sound of bones just before snapping.
And then it does.
Light launches from the chasm in a cannonshot, a singular beam that screams with static and whispers that makes Poet clamp his hands over his ears. He catches Rythian stumble in the corner of his eye, falling rigidly to the sand not far from them.
Tinker grabs Poet’s arm, yelling something he can’t hear over the cacophony. He points at Zoeya, stiff and staring wide eyed at the pulsing fountain, and then at the clouds above them. The roar that follows, as the last of the light shoots skywards, blurs his vision. His hands are still flat against his head, doing nothing against Her wingbeats, Her rasping breaths, Her teeth in his shoulder and
“We need to get her away from here, right now!” Nano rips his hands away, “Grab him and let’s fucking go!”
Lalna is in front of Zoeya again, goggles hiding his expression well enough that he almost looks brave. Nano shouts something his way, taking Tinker’s hand as she drags him towards the two, urging them away from the castle.
Rythian is staring up when Poet turns to him. His eyes are wide, and terrified, any numbing in his system torn away by the shock. Poet risks a glance.
He knows She’s not the real one. Even back then, he thinks he knew. She wasn’t strong enough for that yet. But this half-Her, a roiling mass of magic in scaleshape and leathered wings, that roars and bites like She does, is enough that the terror still curls through him like poison.
Poet warps through the remaining distance. He barrels into Tinker's arms, tucked into one as Nano fills the space next to him.
The swampwater laps at the shore next to them, algae dimpled by the rain. The three of them are still for a moment. Hands buried in clothes, tucked together as closely as they can be.
Tinker seems to realise something, untangling from the impromptu group-hug to focus entirely on Poet.
"Are you okay?" He starts, face pale and tired, "I- I wanted to get to you as soon as possible but-"
Poet reaches up, taking Tinker's face into his hands, "I'm fine, love. I'm okay. We're okay."
Nano takes the opportunity to wrap her arms around them both, again, "I missed you. Don't ever do that again. I've had enough of us getting separated like this."
"I didn't plan to!"
"Well try harder!"
Lalna clears his throat. The three of them realise they have an audience.
"You're me, then?"
Tinker flinches.
Nano feels it, stepping between them with a plastered smile, "Yep! Um- Lalna, meet Lalna!"
Tinker scoffs, shaking his head gently, "The same Lalna, for once. Forgot how short my hair was, here."
Lalna holds out his hand. Tinker takes it, shaking.
"You're still a little bastard, then?"
"Wow," Lalna smirks, "The hell d'you mean 'still' with a question like that."
Footsteps approach, followed by the sound of a bowstring pulled taut.
"Oh, void, there's two of you now," Zoeya puts a hand on Teep's arm, lowering his weapon, "The world isn't gonna rip open now you've touched, is it?"
"Zoeya-" Poet blurts, "Sorry, um- Hello?"
She stares at him, gears turning for a moment. He’s similar to her Rythian, still lanky and lithe and stood with that enamouring awkwardness she’d grown used to. He waves curtly, face growing tight with a slight panic.
“Hi,” she manages, “You- You grew your hair out.”
“I, hah! I did, yes.”
“I told you it would look nice.”
He steps towards her, “You did. I should’ve listened earlier.”
“You-" Zoeya's ears prick up, and she glances towards the Keep looming over them, "None of you should be here.”
“Well that’s the whole-”
Zoeya holds her palm up, “No, like here here. I don’t think he’s home right now but we should leave before he sees anyone.”
Thunder rumbles above as a bolt pierces down behind them. Most of them flinch.
The silhouette it reveals against the swirling sky does not.
Nano wrings out their hair for the hundredth time.
"No," she mutters, sharing a look with Poet, "Is that Blackrock, up ahead?"
Lalna holds out a hand, "Should- You should probably go first, Nano."
"Why?"
"If Rythian- My Rythian- is home, I doubt he'd try attack you. Us, not so doubtful."
They glance at Poet, "Would he attack us?"
"He's in a bad spot right now. Probably."
"Okay. Alright. I'll signal if he's there."
They watch as Nano crests the hill. Poet tenses, wound like an elastic, as she stops in her tracks. Instead of dawning fear, or- or- Nano smiles, then grins, and waves in a wide arc towards the keep's entrance.
She turns back to them, gesturing for them to join her, before bounding down the hill and out of sight.
Poet springs after her. From the enbankment he can see the source of her excitement. Three figures. One of them, blond and soaked to the bone, is already sprinting towards him.
something tells me that rythians going to be a bit of a problem ahaha
Unsteady feet land on a sand beach. Rythian nearly trips, squid beer clouding his mind and forcing his movements sloppy. He can't think straight.
His outstretched hand- when had he reached out?- finds the cliff wall, and he uses it as a handrail, slowly stumbling towards the dusty ruins of his Keep.
He's angry- deeply angry. Ravs hadn't been the listening ear he'd wanted, nor really one he needed. Damn man and his advice- Rythian didn't have time for that. He needed answers, and revenge- doubleso, now this fake Rythian was plodding around and stealing his name.
Static whines in his ears for a moment and he pauses. He shakes his head. He's drunk, he rationalises, not mad. He's tired and drunk, and-
under Blackrock Keep eh? are you sure you lot want to go traipsing under that damp and dingy place? why not go on a normal adventure and go searching for them the old fashioned way
Poet squints through the rain, a raised hand keeping away most of the rivulets.
It's almost swallowed by the thick grey-blue of the storm, but he can see his mark in the distance. Nestled between the coastal, swampy cliffs, slick and shiny with seaspray and salt-rain; A castle.
His castle.
Lalna clicks his tongue, "That purple stuff's new."
"Purple stuff?" Nano perks up, eyes worried, "Where?"
He gestures to a ravine torn through the hillside, the gentle slope letting them peer into the depths without getting too close. It hums with a violet glow, drifting particles ebbing in the stormwind.
"Rythian?"
Poet stops, boot sticking in the muddy ground. With his free hand he counts on his fingers.
"What is it?"
"Shhh, I'm trying to-" He stomps, "I can't remember how many days it was between this and- and you."
Lalna cocks his head, "Till what? Clue us in."
"I- I think it's tomorrow."
[Underdark will be on a temporary hiatus while I deal with some stuff. But! This means I'll be putting more time into the next few entries/responses. Big stuff coming. Thank you for the asks, we'll be with you soon.]
The boat bumps against the shore, jerking Tinker from his seat. Zoeya does not look at him as he slips past her, up onto the grass.
Tinker offers her his hand but she doesn't move, a stalwart frown on her face.
"What nuke?"
"I can't tell you. I- This is gonna screw everything up."
She huffs, dragging a hand through her hair, "No! You're going to tell me what you're talking about. What nuke?"
Tinker inhales, grimacing. "I don't want to do this, okay, but you're not giving me any other choice."
"What?"
"Info for info."
Teep raises his bow. Tinker ignores him.
"You help me find my partners, I'll tell you about this nuke."
"Here I was thinking you'd grown up," Zoeya spits, "How do I know you'll keep up your end?"
"You don't. But I will, promise."
She takes his offered hand, jumping up onto the shore, before quickly swatting him away. Teep snarls at him as he trails behind her.
